506  
FXUS66 KMFR 201042  
AFDMFR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR  
342 AM PDT SUN OCT 20 2024  
   
SHORT TERM
 
 
PLENTY OF STRATUS AND FOG IS COVERING LOCATIONS ALONG THE COAST  
THIS MORNING WITH SOME HIGH CLOUDS MOVING OVERHEAD AS WELL. TODAY  
WILL BE A PRETTY QUIET MORNING TO START OFF WITH PARTLY CLOUDY  
SKIES AND HIGH TEMPERATURES 5 TO 10 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL.  
OTHERWISE, A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY DESCENT ON THE OREGON COAST BY  
THE EVENING HOURS. THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION JUMPS UP TO 50  
TO 60 PERCENT BETWEEN 4 AND 7PM THIS EVENING. THE FRONT WILL MOVE  
INLAND SUNDAY NIGHT WITH A NEAR 100% CHANCE OF RAIN FOR LOCATIONS  
WEST OF THE CASCADES IN OREGON. THOSE PROBABILITIES DROP OFF THE  
FARTHER ONE MOVES SOUTH AND EAST AWAY FROM THE BEST DYNAMICS AND  
MOISTURE SUNDAY NIGHT. IT LOOKS LIKE THE COAST COULD SEE UP TO 1  
INCH OF RAIN BASED ON THE LATEST FORECASTS WITH UP TO 0.5 INCHES  
OVER LOCATIONS WEST OF THE CASCADES.  
 
THE FRONT WEAKENS ON MONDAY AND BECOMES MORE STATIONARY, ALTHOUGH  
THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH OREGON BY MONDAY  
AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT, THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES  
LINGER IN OREGON, ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE CASCADES. IT SEEMS THE  
PRECIPITATION MODE WILL BE MORE SHOWERY GIVEN THE LIMITED  
CONVECTIVE AVAILABLE POTENTIAL ENERGY(CAPE). RIGHT NOW, WE SEE  
ABOUT 100 J/KG OVER LOCATIONS WEST OF THE CASCADES BY LATE MONDAY  
MORNING. WITH A RELATIVELY COOL MOIST AIRMASS LINGERING IN THE  
VALLEYS, PATCHY FOG SEEMS REASONABLE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY  
MORNING.  
 
ONCE THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATE  
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING, WE'LL SEE A VERY WEAK THERMAL  
TROUGH SET UP ALONG THE COAST WITH EAST BREEZES AROUND 5 TO 10  
KNOTS. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE SLIGHTLY ON TUESDAY, ALTHOUGH THE  
WARMUP WILL BE MORE NOTABLE WEDENSDAY WITH MORE CLEARING IN THE  
SKIES. -SMITH  
   
LONG TERM
 
 
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY SHOULD BE PRETTY MUNDANE WEATHER WISE WITH  
AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING INTO OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.  
NORMAL FALL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WITH THE TYPICAL WEAK  
LATE AFTERNOON BREEZES.  
 
THE MAIN WEATHER FEATURE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST APPEARS TO BE A  
WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM HITTING SOUTHERN OREGON SOMETIME BETWEEN  
THURSDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN THE  
ENSEMBLES ON WHEN OR WHERE THIS LOW WILL ARRIVE IN THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST, ALTHOUGH THE MOST LIKELY TIME SEEMS TO BE MID DAY  
FRIDAY. FOR THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS(~15%) THAT ARE DRY THROUGH  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, THEY BRING SOME PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION  
EVENTUALLY ON SATURDAY. SO THERE ARE INDEED PLENTY OF VARIABLES  
THIS FAR OUT, ALTHOUGH AGAIN THE MOST LIKELY IS A LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM BRINGING PRECIPITATION AROUND MID DAY FRIDAY.  
 
IF A LOW DOES HIT SOUTHERN OREGON, IT DOESN'T LOOK IMPACTFUL AS  
ALMOST ALL THE MODEL SIMULATIONS HAVE A LOW AROUND 990 TO 1000  
MILLIBARS AND SOME MEMBERS DO NOT HAVE A DISTINGUISHABLE LOW  
CENTER. THE EXTREME FORECAST INDEX SHOWS NOTHING NOTABLE IN THE  
EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST AS WELL. THE OTHER THING WE  
WANTED TO NOTE IS WE'LL LIKELY BE UNDER SOME SOUTHWEST FLOW WHEN  
THIS WEATHER HITS BETWEEN THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY, SO SNOW LEVELS  
WILL LIKELY REMAIN ON THE HIGH SIDE(7000-8000 FEET).  
-SMITH  
 

 
   
AVIATION (06Z TAFS)
 
MARINE STRATUS WILL MOVE ONTO THE COAST  
LATER OVERNIGHT WITH IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS LIKELY BY MORNING. SOUTH  
WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER MOST OF THE AREA TOMORROW AS A WEAK FRONT  
APPROACHES. THIS FRONT WILL BRING RAIN TO LOCATIONS ALONG THE COAST  
AND SPREAD INLAND SUNDAY NIGHT. SMITH/WRIGHT  
 

 
   
MARINE (UPDATED 200 AM)
 
 
 
WINDS SWITCH TO SOUTHERLY LATER THIS MORNING AND INCREASE AHEAD OF A  
COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE FRONT COMES THROUGH OUR WATERS,  
CONDITIONS MAY BRIEFLY BECOME HAZARDOUS TO SMALLER CRAFT DUE TO A  
COMBINATION OF STEEP WIND WAVES AND WESTERLY SWELL, MAINLY ISOLATED  
AREAS NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO. EXPECT RAIN WITH THE FRONT THIS  
AFTERNOON, BUT THEN THE FRONT MOVES ONSHORE WITH IMPROVING  
CONDITIONS MONDAY. A THERMAL TROUGH DEVELOPS ALONG THE COAST  
TUESDAY, AND THIS WILL BRING GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND WIND DRIVEN SEAS  
THAT WILL REACH AT LEAST ADVISORY LEVELS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY,  
ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF CAPE BLANCO.  
 
-GUERRERO  
 

 
   
MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
 
CA...NONE.  
 
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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